Electrostatic Chuck Overview:

Electrogrip's ElectroStatic Chucks (ESCs) grip semiconductor wafers and other micropatterned device substrates. Electrogrip ESCs are available for a range of OEM systems, in addition to its CP series which Electrogrip stocks for use in custom semiconductor wafer and flat panel process systems. Electrostatic Chucks (ESCs) used in plasma processing equipment must satisfy demanding requirements to yield high etch and deposition uniformity, temperature control, tolerance of high rf voltage and current, ability to withstand process gas attack, low particle shedding, long life, and proper substrate wafer handling.

Electrogrip 'CP' electrostatic chucks are provided in kit form to enable easy installation in custom equipment. They provide high uniformity, high durability, and ability to grip a variety of semiconductor substrates such as silicon, gallium arsenide, and insulating substrates such as sapphire (for use with InP, GaN, SiC), silicon carbide, quartz, glass (for use in liquid crystal display panels). Electrogrip electrostatic chucks are also used to grip thin metal foils and other MEMS components used to make hard disk drives, inkjet printer heads, liquid crystal panel displays, HEMT transistors on insulating substrates, medical devices, and accelerometers.

ESCs grip using electrostatic forces on substrate rears, and do not contact the top sides of substrates, thus protecting delicate nanostructured top surface patterns. Our ESCs process ...

• insulating substrates,
• hard disk drive head substrates,
• semiconductor wafers,
• InP-coated sapphire,
• metal foils,
• ... and many other materials.

Typical radio-frequency plasma etch or deposition ESC construction is as follows:

Temperature control generally requires a backfill gas. Rf bias may be required to etch or deposit on the substrate surface. Extreme temperature ranges may be required for process control. Extreme surface flatness may be required for focus accuracy. Substrates are generally held in vacuum using bipolar chuck electrodes. Some cases are well-served with oscillating multipole chuck electrodes if complex substrates or gases are present.

Special applications for Electrogrip ESCs include

• air optical inspection,
• vacuum E-Beam inspection,
• multi-substrate,
• focused scanning plasma jet,
• mobile electrostatic chucks for wafer fragments and individual die,
• ion implant, and
• near-earth satellite remnant 'space junk' gripping.